Beneath the Brim: Shadows of a Strawhat
by Esaki Nalex
Summary: There are nine positions on the Strawhat crew…or are there more? Just a thought of what things might be like had Oda-sensei written the Strawhats a little darker. After all, they're pirates...and pirates aren't nice. Each Strawhat birthday I'll update a chapter featuring that Strawhat.
1. April 1st: Usopp: Information Broker

**Birthday: Usopp- April 1st: Information Broker**

In the port town of Numi on the island of Heii within Paradise of the Grandline, as sunset fell and the wraiths of the night came into being, there came to be two pirates. But these were not just any pirates, oh no, these were Hunters- pirates who preyed on weary sailors: marines, pirates, and traders alike. They kept to themselves, but occasionally, only occasionally, they had to outsource. This was one of those times. And at that moment, they were drawing closer to the cause of their twilight escapade. Their reason: information- information on the Strawhat Pirates. Their source: the shadow god of Paradise: Al-Kutbay **(1)**. Their final goal: take out the Strawhat Pirates. However, before they could even attempt a take-down, they needed to know their enemies…and the best way to do that was to speak with Al-Kutbay. The shadow god's network was a work of art; great as the system used by the Marines- but more subtle than they could ever be. Unfortunately for the particular group of Hunters these two pirates came from, they had sent sheep in snakes's clothing. As the two made their way to the meeting, they broke the foremost rule of the information world: don't talk about it.

_**Let's listen in….**_

"So…where we goin again? I'm not drunk 'nough for this time o' nigh."

"You idiot. We're going to see Al-Kutbay; ya know…the shadow god of Paradise?"

"Who?"

"Great merciful Calypso, you're a idiot… the shadow god. The one who knows. He and his aides, Postverta and Antevorta, are the only ones who have the info we need and are willing to sell it. Boss told us that when we left the boat a few weeks ago. Should've known you weren't paying attention."

"Sooo…female aides huh? Think they'll want to, ya know, have a little fun after? Cause I could go for some." The other pirate was horrified. For him this entire conversation proved that his boss hated him. Really, he must want him to die. What kind of mistake could he have done to deserve 'death by idiot'?

"No! Don't even think that! You're gonna get us killed!" the seemingly smarter of the two pirates was close to hyperventilating, "We're here. Just shut up and let me do the talking. Don't you dare say a word."

They had arrived at a midsized hut, made of brown wood with a cloth covered doorway. As they entered, the two could hear a soft mumble from the back room of the hut. That was background noise however, as their attention was drawn to the woman sitting at a desk to the side of the door. Long blond curls falling from beneath a bandana surrounded a set of doe-like brown eyes and tapered off just above her modest bust. She had a tattoo of a stylized "S" on her arm and wore an olive green tank top with brown cargo pants and heels. Sitting on the table in front of her was a stack of paper and a few stacks of paper beli. She was counting out a bag of coins when they entered, and glanced up at them when they moved to stand in front of the table.

"You're late." Her first words were sharp and accompanied by a pointed glare. "You should be on time for business. That's an additional 20 percent fee."

"But-" the idiot pirate objected.

"30 percent." She amended, and the idiot pirate once again opened his mouth. Before he could say anything else however, his partner stepped on his foot and gave him a fierce glower.

"Shut up you brainless twit before you screw us over! That's Antevorta **(2)**!" the smarter pirate hissed under his breath. He turned back to the woman and attempted a friendly smile. "Don't worry about him. He won't be saying anything else." He shot his partner a look. "We're with the Coroner Pirates. I'm Jos-" She cut him off.

"I don't care. Give me your payment and head to the back room. I don't have time for overdue fees." She gestured to the table impatiently.

"Of course, of course, Antevorta-sama. Right away." He tipped out two of the four bags his captain had given him for the information. She gave him a steady look and held out her hand. "Ah. Right, right, the fee. Here." He pulled out the third bag and placed it in her hand. She weighed it carefully and nodded her head in the direction of the back room.

"Go in and be silent when he speaks. He has no time for loafers and you are already pushing it." Jos nodded and walked toward the curtain that sectioned the hut, pulling his partner behind him before he could say anything. As they moved past the curtain, they entered a shadowed room partially filled with candles and faced the table before them. The area before the table was filled with candle light, but the darkness in the space behind the table seemed impenetrable. They could make out a figure seated at the table and suspected there was another even further back in the darkness. The two stood there warily, unnerved by the complete silence of the room. Abruptly, the seated figure leaned forward and began to speak as they caught a glimpse of tanned forearms and the tip of a tengu mask's beak.

"I am Al-Kutbay. You have come to me for information on the rookie crew of the Strawhat Pirates, correct?" The two men nodded. "Then information you shall receive. These pirates," he placed the bounty posters of the Strawhat Pirates on the table, "they are more than they appear. They consist of demons, monsters, and creatures in human skin. Beware of Monkey D. Luffy- he is able to command a true demon, Roronoa Zoro. And the myths always state that demons bow to none but the most powerful. The others show their own prowess, but this one…" he tapped the bounty poster of 'Cotton Candy Lover Chopper' "…this one is a shape shifter. Never assume he is helpless. Their hearts are untamable, their actions are unpredictable and their teamwork absolute- this is their most dangerous ability. Never endanger one of them if any of the others can move; that will be your last act. Never presume that they are dead or incapacitated, that will also be your last act. A frontal attack will fail. A sneak attack will fail. The only chance to take them down is to overpower them, and even that is questionable. There is little to no information on their abilities; much that is available is dubious to the extreme at least. That is all I know of these beings of destruction." Jos nodded, grateful for any information he could get. Unfortunately for him, his partner felt different.

"What the hell you talkin about! The boss wanted their powers, their weaknesses, how to take them down! And you say you don't know! You're lying! Do you know who we are, coward? We're the Coroner Pirates! The greatest Hunters this side of the Redline. You can't keep that info from us! I'll make you tell us!" With that exclamation, he lunged across the table, grabbing for the figure's throat and the candles extinguished all at once. Jos, terrified and trembling, backed away as far as possible and listened to the sounds that surrounded him. Gurgles and whimpers, which may or may not have come from his own throat, soft breathing and a sharp crack which most definitely did not. The soft breathing continued and he jumped when a feminine voice addressed him.

"So your reason for wanting this information…is to 'take out' the Strawhat Pirates…? How unfortunate. It seems we mistook your intentions for something less malicious than it was. The risks of the job it seems… Regrettably, you now know too much to return to your crew."

Jos choked back a sob. How had this simple job gone so wrong? All it was supposed to be was a ordinary reconnaissance job. Everything was falling apart. Al-Kutbay was angry, Kotov was dead and he was going to be next. The boss would never get the information and the crew would probably be destroyed in Al-Kutbay's immense anger. The last thing he heard before a sharp snap ended his existence, was the parting words of Postverta **(3)**- the lady of the past.

"Good-bye, Jostin of the Coroner Pirates. Don't worry about your body…we'll make sure to deliver it to your captain when we visit him."

**ooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooo **

"Usopp! Where are you?! We're playing tag!" Luffy screamed as he ran across the deck of the Thousand Sunny. The sun was shining and there was a distinct lack of clouds in the sky. Every crewmember of the Strawhat Pirates had retreated to their normal activities. Zoro was snoozing against the mast, Franky had disappeared to his workshop, Sanji was cooking dinner, Brook had retreated to the crow's nest for watch and to practice his music, Luffy and Chopper were playing on deck, while Nami and Robin relaxed on the upper deck with fruit smoothies.

"Wahh! You're it Luffy!" Usopp jumped up behind Luffy, tagged him and ran off, while Chopper followed him, laughing like a maniac. Nami smiled fondly and looked down at the newspaper that was just delivered. Her eyebrows rose in sudden surprise.

"Wow." Nami said, astonishment thick in her tone. Robin looked up from her book.

"Is there something wrong Navigator-san?" she asked curiously. Nami smiled disarmingly.

"No, no, just shocking. Apparently an entire crew of "hunter" pirates, the Coroner Pirates actually, was destroyed. There was no trace of what did it though. Really strange, that. The wreckage simply floated into harbor a couple of nights ago. They can't even tell what might've broken the ship. Says here that it looked like they ran afoul a Grandline hurricane." They shared a small smile at the report.

"What an unfortunate occurrence to have happened…." Robin mused quietly.

**ooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooo **

**(1)Al-Kutbay: ancient Nabataean god of knowledge, commerce, writing, and prophesy**

**(2)Antevorta: ancient Roman goddess of the future, sister to Postverta**

**(3)Postverta: ancient Roman goddess of the past, sister to Antevorta**


	2. April 3rd: Brook: Lure

**Birthday: Brook- April 3rd: Lure**

Throughout the halls of the Parapli Resort on the Paradise island Kyuka, an obscure melody drifted, catching the attention of one of the resort's more rowdy patrons. Said patron was currently exiting the tavern's attached restroom when he noticed the eerie tune that stalked around the corners of the room, dragging the drunken revelers around him into further stupor. He was a Marine, and being the curious sailor that he was; he followed the floating melody out of the tavern and to the deserted docks in the back of the building. The docks looked abandoned; they were broken and desolate, covered in mold and scum and who knew what else. The area around them showed no trace of anyone, yet the unearthly tune could still be heard winding through the fog-filled dusk sky. The music cut off abruptly, almost screeching its last notes. It was only then that he noticed the absolute silence that had engulfed the derelict dockyard with the coming transition from dusk of twilight to the darkness of nightfall. The uncanny feeling of being watched prickled his neck and slowly he turned his head behind him, swallowing dryly.

Only to be greeted with the empty air.

He sighed with relief. _'I must have been imagining it.'_ he thought, looking down at the bottle of grog he'd managed to snag from the bar on his way out _'Yeah. That's it. Just a bit too much to drink.'_ He shook his head roughly, and turned back to the ocean—only to let loose the most unmanly squeal that would ever be heard in all the fourteen seas **(1)**.

It- it- he- whatever the hell it was-was wearing a top hat and a suit. A rather raggedly suit to be honest. Wait…what was wrong with him! There was a skeleton - a skeleton! - right in front of him and he was commenting on his-its?- wardrobe! What in the four Blues was going on!It was like some cheap, horror flick where the victim was led into a deserted area and then killed….oh ***beep*** it **(2)**. That was exactly what it was. If he hadn't been frozen in terror, he would've face-palmed. What kind of idiot was he to get trapped in such a stupid ruse **(3)**? Maybe if he backed away slowly…

"Yohohoho! Moshimoshi **(4)**, Marine-san! I thank you for joining me out here." The skeleton- skeleton!- raised his top hat slightly, placing the cane he'd been leaning on over his arm. "I was beginning to wonder if I would have to come get you. It's not good gentlemanly form to make someone wait for you!" the marine lieutenant couldn't help but wonder if he were hallucinating. "It is also not good form to stay silent within a conversation."

"Uh…uh…" he swallowed dryly, "Hello." He hoped that would be enough for the apparition. "Well…I've got to go…lots of paperwork in the morning…can't stay too late…and I can't…ah…have a hangover later…" While he stumbled through whatever words he could force out his throat, he was slowly back up one step at a time and praying to a god he had never given a second thought to- hey, it was a freaking living skeleton!- what else was he supposed to do? Outwardly, he was calm, if a bit spooked- it was only natural- but inwardly, he was just a tad hysterical. _'Please let me live; please let me live; please, please, please, oh Great Calypso, let me live.'_ The skeleton didn't seem to like that line of thought very much; he was frowning and dang if that didn't freak him out even more.

"Leave? But you just got here. We've been waiting for you all evening. You can't go now; it's simply not done." He froze again at those words, eyes wide and breath now visible and quickening. _'Well crap. Crap, crap, crap and more crap. That's just dandy. Now he's not gonna let me go. Can't fight it; not that stupid thank you very much. So…how am I gonna pull this off? How am I gonna get away from him… Wait…"we"? As in…more than the skeleton? How many more… like, one more or like, fifty more? Dang it. I'm not drunk enough for this Sea King dung.' _ He eventually managed to pierce through the panic-stricken haze in his mind and say three words before terror rendered him mute once more.

"We? Who's 'we'?" he squeaked out. A deep chuckle reverberated through the air around him as a large figure stepped out of the darkness.

"That would be me." The man-more machine really- was large as noted before, with round ball-like shoulders and baseball glove-like hands at the end of rectangular forearms. The moonlight glinted off the mechanical parts of his body when he moved. "I'll take it from here Music-bro. This is more my thing than yours." The marine gave a small whimper as the mecha "cracked" his knuckles- for lack of a better term- and the skeleton turned to walk down the beach. The marine's eyes followed the skeleton warily until the mecha-man spoke. "Oh, don't worry about him. This is for you and me. Now, let's start out easy…what rank are you marine? Now don't be shy or I'll have to get rough on you." The marine whimpered again, he was beginning to wish the skeleton had stayed instead of the mecha.

Unfortunately for him, the skeleton in question was walking down the moonlit beach, humming a rather morbid dirge as he thought back to earlier that afternoon. "Dum dum da dum, daa da da da da da dum…." **(5)**

**ooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooo**

"Can you do that Music-bro? We just need one of them for this to work." Franky asked, exchanging glances with Sanji, both just a bit anxious that he'd say no. "We just need a marine that knows the region. Besides, they're all here on vacation, won't suspect a thing." Brook hmm'd and tapped his chin thoughtfully, running through his techniques for any that might be able to tempt someone to follow. He couldn't think of any at the moment, but…

"Unfortunately, I have nothing that would lure another." Both Sanji and Franky looked down dejected. "However," they looked up hopefully, "that simply means it's time for me to write one. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better get to work. " With that, he turned and left for the only quiet place he could find; the crow's nest. As he wrote, humming the new tune, he searched his mind for possible terms to name his new creation. _'Hmm…. It must be eerie, other worldly- to give it mystery, but it must be lively, upbeat- to bring it to life. Yes. Just like that. And a name. It must have a name... How abo__ut "__Miryoku no Wana"—the Allure's Trap…yes, that's a fine name.' _

"Yohohoho! Step one of Operation: Supernatural Interrogation is complete!" And then "Bink's Sake" echoed across the ocean in celebration.

**ooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooo**

**(1): let's count the seas of the One Piece world- Blues: North/South/East/West- 4; Grandline: Paradise/New World- 2; Calm Belts: two that boarder New World/two that boarder Paradise- 4; Sky Seas: White Sea/White-White Sea- 2; Deep Seas: the seafloor composed of East Blue, two calm belts, Paradise, South Blue-1/ seafloor of North Blue, two calm belts, New World, West Blue-1  
TOTAL: 4+2+4+2+2=14 **

**(2): I prefer not to cuss, so you won't see cussing in my writing either. I use 'crap', 'freak', 'dang', 'Calypso', 'Blues', 'Grandline'(only in One Piece stories), and occasionally 'snit' or 'hell' to get my point across. **

**(3): Seriously. This happens in those movies all the time. Yes, you just saw someone go into the DARK basement; yes, you just heard someone scream BLOODY murder; so yes you should DEFINATELY follow them down to the basement where you just heard somebody scream bloody murder YOU STUPID IDIOT. Seriously. I'd be turning around and leaving whatever was left of you down there. **

**(4): Japanese- energetic form of 'Hello!' *I think…***

**(5): the classical funeral march**


	3. May 5th: Monkey D Luffy: Diversion

**Birthday: Monkey D. Luffy- May 5th: Diversion**

At an unnamed Marine division.

_Scritch-scritch, stamp, flwip. _

_Scritch-scritch, stamp, flwip. _

_Scritch-scritch, stamp, flwip. _

**Request for… new training weights.** _Scritch-scritch, stamp, flwip. _**APPROVED.**

**Request for… additional ammunition.** _Scritch-scritch, stamp, flwip. _**APPROVED.**

**Request for… kitchen supplies- cleaning chemicals. **_Scritch-scritch, stamp, flwip. _**APPROVED.**

**Request for… hot dancing ladies. **_Scritch-scri….__**Glare.**__ Crumple. Toss._

"Lieutenant! Get in here!" The door opens, admitting a hard-faced man in white. He slautes sharply and I mirror the movement from my seat behind the desk. "At ease, Lt. Marn. I've got something to ask you about."

Marn raises an eyebrow in surprise- it's usually an order he's called in for, so this is a bit unusual on my part. "Tell me the scuttlebutt **(1)** you've heard about Ensign Drew Jones. Leave nothing out." The second brow has joined the first.

"There's nothing big, sir. Enlisted ten years ago, demoted to chore-boy once for insubordination on a routine patrol. Hates spiders; chronic gambler; has a cousin on Kyuka who he visits when on extended leave. Came back a bit roughed up last time he left.**(2)** Claims it was a bar fight with the locals- fortunately in plain clothes at the time and he knew to keep his mouth shut about his rank. Was given a month of inventory keeping as a deterrent for any further behavior. No other relationships, though he has been seen visiting a few of the women escorts around the docks. That's about it, sir." Marn stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Permission to speak freely sir?" I nodded. "Why did you ask me sir? Most of the men could give you more information. And why him? He hasn't brought any attention to himself since the bar incident two months ago. Seems to be keeping his head down."

I snorted, glancing at the piles of paperwork I still had to do before the day was out. _"Blasted red tape! Bane of my existence! It breeds enough on its own. Last thing I need is an idiot adding to it." _I looked back at Marn. "Seems is the operative word there, lieutenant. He merely put it off. I just read a request from him for… what were his words…" I reached into the waste basket "Ah, here we go… 'hot dancing ladies'..." Marn snorted lightly, and I gave him an exasperated look.

"What do you want me to do sir?" Marn straightened, having realized why I called him in. "Move him from patrol to inventory again?" I narrowed my eyes, looking at my desk and thinking over the open positions. My eyes lit on the next piece of paperwork- a request for leave for an ensign in the sanitation department. My brow rose, and I could feel a smirk sliding onto my face. _"If he wants to make ME deal with crap, then HE can deal with it too." _I opened my mouth to tell Marn my decision and – _rumble… _

I stood up slowly, listening hard. Marn looked at me puzzled "Sir? Is there something wrong?" I cut him off with a sharp motion of my hand. What was that… a earthquake? Surely not…but…

**BOOM!**

And the wall seemed to explode. I dove beneath my desk, covering my head as much as I could. I opened my eyes to the sound of Marn's groaning as I crawled out, I could see him laid out on the floor next to a fist-sized chunk of the wall. Swiftly checking his basic life signs, I gave a sigh of relief when I found his pulse. Coming to a quick decision, I propped him against the intact wall, grabbed my sword off the floor and ran out of the room towards the courtyard, the sounds of fighting growing the closer I got. I sped through the now open doors and noticed one of my Marines join me as I ran for the stairs.

"Name, rank, and situation, Marine!" I barked, too distracted to check his nametag.

"James Kelly, sir. Sergeant. Surprise attack by what seems to be a single person. Perimeter guards were taken out before they could give a description besides the gender of the attacker- male, sir." We reached the bottom of the stairs and raced out the exit, punching through a cloud of smoke and getting the first look at our lone invader.

He's not really one to look at- straw sandals, ragged blue jean shorts, red vest, and a… oh, dear. A straw hat perched proudly on his head. How droll. Strawhat Luffy has designated us worth a visit. He doesn't seem like much, but I'm not going to take any chances, seeing as he's tearing through my men like they're tissue paper. I cast my eyes around; he can't be alone-it's just not his style-but… there's no trace of any of his crew. My eyes narrow slightly, this maybe a chance. No back up, all alone. I've got to take this- get his attention. I jump in, forgoing my sword for now and his focus shifts to me.

We clash and separate, again and again, and I'm slowly pushing him toward the open mouth of the port. Thanks to recent reports, I know that he's got a Devil Fruit, but strangely…he hasn't used it. Maybe he needs something to make it work? Bah, doesn't matter, focus. I'm pushing faster, and he's going back, but…it's too easy. I drive him back quickly, and jump away, suspicious of my success. My marines are at my back and I relax a little, staring at him. He's pinned against the water, but he looks utterly unfazed and that's sending warning bells ringing through my mind. He notices my tense stance and chuckles softly.

"What's so funny?" I ask him cautiously, eyes flickering for any suspicious movements. He simply shakes his head, giving me a large grin.

"You should watch your six." He states, nodding behind me. I blink confused, and my marines question each other on what he means. There's a nagging idea of what he means, but…that's not possible. They couldn't be that stupid…could they? A loud cough echoes from behind me and my marines and as I turn, I feel the chill of someone walking over my grave. Yes. Apparently they could.

Standing behind us, boxing _US_ in the rest of the Strawhat Pirates. The blond one with a curly eyebrow- who clearly must be "Blackleg Sanji"- opens his mouth and confirms my theory.

"What kind of an idiot…doesn't guard their back?"

ooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooo

**the navy/marine word for rumors/gossip**

**yes, he was the marine in chapter 2 **


	4. July 3rd: Nami: Loan Shark

**Birthday: Nami- July 3rd: Loan Shark**

* * *

In the New World side of the Grandline, on the winter island of Olrac **(1)**, there is a casino called Ryūsa **(2)**. It is known as one of the brightest jewels of the sea. And thus, it is a hotspot for pirate activity and therefore has a marine presence of 4 large ships, their crews and two captains with their respective lieutenants. It also defers to its name in that it has long been supposed that many of the games are rigged. The only reason it is not shut down is because there is never any evidence and the continuously outrageous prizes it offers each time it opens once every two months for 72 hours straight. The only catch is that once the doors are open, you cannot leave and then return. It is a one chance deal and any who attempt to re-enter are banned from the premises for at least two years. But this isn't about any of that…this is about poor, poor Toyūsō Urite-san and his own dip into the ryūsa.

* * *

_**At the bar….**_

There sits a man clothed in fine linen and silk, basking in the light and sipping two-hundred year old cognac. He looks about haughtily, and dabs his neck lightly with his kerchief. As he finishes his drink and reaches into his wallet, he surveys the room, its bright lights and colors nearly blinding him with their intensity and thinks to himself….*****_**Beep!***__ I forgot that I lost my last 2 million beli at the blackjack table._

You see, friend, this distinguished looking man here at the bar, is a fairly wealthy gentleman (or so he likes to think) and to many he would be considered one. His bank account, post gambling for the past day and night, is 401,080,000.00 beli **(3)**. That is four hundred and one million, eighty thousand beli. Mere pocket change to most nobles, but for a non-noble man who built his business from the ground up, it is reasonably successful. But the amount in his account will come into play later and for now we focus on the present predicament.

* * *

There. That was my target. I was chosen for this. I can do this. Na-Shūha**(4)** is counting on me. I can do this. Calm down. Don't panic. I can do this.

* * *

As Toyūsō-san continued his internal realization, he was approached by a large man in a suit with a red silk button down shirt. The first thing he noticed about the man was his extremely broad shoulders. When the man introduced himself ("Just call me Tony." **(5)** )and they shook hands, Toyūsō noticed his hands were engulfed by the other's oversized mitts. When he found himself looking Tony in the face, he observed a strangely flat nose- almost as though it had grown wider rather than outward as all noses do. But that was unimportant, since Tony had won a large sum of beli in the slots and needed someone to celebrate it with. After seeing that Toyūsō was a man of singularity and realizing that he did not wish the company of a giggly female, Tony offered to field the tab for conversation. At least, that was how Toyūsō saw it.

After a few more hours of drinking and listening to Toyūsō mourn his "penniless" state, Tony mentioned that he knew a person who could help. "She's a good friend. And she knows what she's doing. She'll get you on your feet, I'm sure."

Toyūsō thought for a moment, as much as he could at least, and wondered…why was the ceiling purple? "Ya shur buddy? She won't beh busy?" **(6)**

"Positive. Besides, if you do it fast you'll be able to get back out here and win enough that your wife won't even know you were here instead of at that meeting. If you don't, she'll probably think you bought some time with a girl. You definitely don't want that." Tony nodded solemnly and Toyūsō nodded franticly in return. If his wife knew….*_**shudder**_*….it wouldn't be pretty. "So, do you want to?"

"Yea. Yea, let's get some mon-ay!" Toyūsō swayed as he stood up and Tony quickly grabbed him and paid off the tab. He then led Toyūsō up the stairs to the fourth floor. "Eh? Why's it so low?"

"She has to be close to her clients and the casino. And she says the fourth floor has the best view of the water." Tony shrugged, not really caring. He knocked on the door twice, and it was opened by a young man with a long nose who didn't even look old enough to enter the building. He had thick, frizzled brown curls pulled back into a tail and wore a deep blue vest with black slacks. He wasn't wearing any shoes. The man raised an eyebrow at them and then shook his head as he stepped out of the way. Once they were inside the suite, Toyūsō became still, staring at the vision of beauty sitting on the couch in front of him. She had orange hair, pulled into an elegant bun, with delicate curls deliberately framing her face. She glittered with gold and opals, just enough to stun. Her dress was cut like a fitted kimono; it shimmered with a mother-of-pearl sheen and was trimmed in orange. He could barely focus…and then she leaned forward.

Toyūsō's knees buckled, and Tony quickly placed him in a chair across from her. She pulled out a single sheet of paper and a pen. And she spoke. And he was lost. In a daze, he allowed her to move his pen to where he needed to sign and scribbled out his name as best he could without letting his eyes leave her. It was only when he was once again in the hallway, staring at the 50,135,000.00**(7)** beli (fifty million, one hundred and thirty-five thousand beli) he had been loaned, that he felt his mind clear somewhat and at that same time, he realized that he was alone in the hallway while Tony had stayed in the suite. Toyūsō debated whether or not to wait for his new-found friend, but found it too hard to resist the call of the games below. For the rest of the night and the next day, he lost and lost and lost, never really thinking what the catch might be to being loaned over 50 million beli by one person.

* * *

And thus ends his fall into ryūsa.

* * *

The next night, with a much clearer head, and almost none of the loaned money left, Toyūsō was on the lookout for his "dear friend Tony." Something had happened to him last night he knew. He was a veteran at drinking alcohol, not as much as a pirate would be, but enough that a few hours of liquor would not leave him dazed, confused or swaying like he had been the night before **(8).** When he didn't see Tony on the floor after hours of looking, he decided enough was enough and decided to go straight to the room he had been loaned the money. If Tony wasn't there, Toyūsō thought, then the woman would know where he was. Had he known what the consequences would be if he went, Toyūsō would have run in the opposite direction like the commoner-turned-higher class man he was.

He knocked on the door sharply. When it didn't open immediately, he knocked again. This time, the door opened to reveal the long-nosed man from before, dress in a green vest and brown slacks (again with no shoes). When it didn't seem the man was going to move on his own accord, Toyūsō pushed his in the suite thrusting aside the man. When he entered the main room, he found the woman sitting on the couch as she had been before and Tony leaning on the wall behind her, but unlike last time, they were dressed for comfort. She wore a bright yellow t-shirt and blue jeans. Tony was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. Toyūsō then proceeded to ignore both of the men, it was clear to him that the woman was the boss. He opened his mouth to ask her what the hell the scam was, and found himself being forced into the chair by Tony while the other man went to stand behind the woman. As he struggled, the woman smirked at him. She spoke.

"Hello, Urite-chan. My name is Akisu Shūha **(9).** But you may call me Akisu-sama, hmm? After all, I hold your well-earned reputation and earnings in my hand." Toyūsō looked at her incredulously. _What the hell is she talking about?_ He wondered. "Ah," her smirk became sharper, "I see you don't understand. Maybe this will help." With that, she pulled out a sheet of paper he vaguely remembered from the night before. "Here. This may help jog your memory a bit." She held out the paper and Toyūsō was released from Tony's grasp as he took it. His eyes flickered down to read the loan contract.

It said:

**Personal Loan Contract**

This contract ("Contract") is an agreement between **{****Toyūsō Urite**}, henceforth known as "Borrower," and **{****Akisu Shūha****}, **henceforth known as "Lender."

Borrower wishes to borrow **{50,135,000.00 beli}**, known as "Loan," from Lender. Loan will be furnished to Borrower on **{July 2}**.

Conditions for this Loan are as follows:

Borrower will begin repayment of Loan on **{July 3}**.

The repayment plan is non-existent as "Loan" will be paid in full in one payment.

The final date for repayment will be **{July 3}**.

Failure to repay the Loan immediately will result in the matter being resolved in private.

Borrower and Lender agree to the conditions above, and sign to that effect on the **{3}** day of **{July}**.

_ Toyūsō Urite _ Borrower Name

_ Akisu Shūha _Lender Name

He slumped back in his chair. She was right. It didn't matter that he had been inebriated or drugged at the time. He had no way to proved what had happened. He had signed a binding contract with this woman and now he had to stick with it. At least it was only 50 million. That was easy enough to repay. Apparently, she had seen his relieved expression and she chuckled softly, knocking him out of his relief.

"What?" He questioned; had she done something? Oh, Calypso, he hoped not. He didn't think he could take it if she had.

She chuckled again. "Make sure you read the fine print."

"Huh?" Toyūsō felt despair creeping up on him.

"The fine print," she reiterated, pointing to the bottom of the page. "make sure you read it. It'll change everything. I assure you."

Toyūsō swallowed dryly, and picked up the paper again. He held it up to his eyes, read the small print he could finally see, and paled. For it was written:

***Should 100 percent of "Loan" be spent: pay 75 percent interest*  
*Should 90 percent of "Loan" be spent: pay 180 percent interest *  
*Should 60 percent of "Loan" be spent: pay 120 percent interest *  
*Should 40 percent of "Loan" be spent: pay 80 percent interest *  
*Should less than 10 percent of "Loan" be spent: pay 100 percent interest* **

****All percentages are considered separate and applicable in relation to spending.****

"_**Beeeep. BEEP. Beep, beep, and beep it!"**_ Toyūsō shook as he calculated how much interest she had manged to squeeze out of the loan. _Let's see….I've spent all of it. That's the 75% interest. And it includes the 180%, the 120%, and the 80%. So…all together (37,601,250.00 plus 40,108,000.00 plus 60,162,000.00 plus 90,243,000.00) that's 278,249,250.00__**(10)**__ and then add the original 50,135,000.00. All told that's 328,384,250.00 belli __**(11).**__**That's three hundred twenty-eight million, three hundred eighty-four thousand, two hundred fifty beli! That's…that's three-fourths of my entire fortune(12)! "There is no way in the deepest, darkest pits of the Blues that I'm paying you that much!" **_

She raised an eyebrow. "You really should rethink that. It's in your best interests." Toyūsō shook his head roughly. She sighed. "Ah, well. I tried. Dangan**(13).** Have fun, but don't kill him." Toyūsō blinked and opened his mouth.

"Wha-" **Thunk!**

Toyūsō jerked his hand back, away from the dagger that had just appeared in the arm of the chair and cast his eyes to the source. It was the long-nosed man. At least, Toyūsō thought it was. It seemed a valid assumption considering that he was twirling another dagger that matched the one stuck in the chair. The man- Dangan-looked like he was lining up another shot, this one a bit more centered toward the seat of the chair, Toyūsō looked at both Akisu and Tony, hoping for some kind of help. He found nothing but slight amusement. He swallowed, and resigned himself to his fate.

"Fine," he acquiesced, bowing his head in shame, "I'll pay the money. Just leave me alone after all of this. Please."

* * *

He left the casino Ryūsa with the vow to never return, lest he be caught in another ryūsa of his own making.

* * *

**(1)as in Monte Carlo: Carlo spelled backwards**

**(2)means quicksand**

**(3)about 4 million U.S. dollars**

**(4)Who do you think this is?**

**(5)Who do you think this is?**

**(6)not a symptom of being drunk**

**(7)about 5 hundred thousand U.S. dollars**

**(8)what does a doctor have? And who's a doctor?**

**(9)means "thief wave"**

**(10)about 2 million seven hundred seventy-five thousand U.S. dollars**

**(11)about 3 million two hundred seventy-five thousand U.S. dollars  
**

**(12)she does good work doesn't she?**

**(13)means shot, shell, casing**


End file.
